Not sure why they have decided that the cluster of small circles is a good thing for the home screen. Seems like it really is hard to navigate and to organize. I hope that one day they give us a square grid of icons like on the iphone with multiple pages to swipe through. Seems like that would be easier, maybe 8 icons per page plus folders. Also seems like they could get rid of a lot of the time icons by just having 3D touch available on the clock icon to bring up options to set a timer, alarm etc
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Does anyone like the home screen?
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I have to agree - it's easily the worst aspect of the watch and incredibly unergonomic to use: I try and avoid it as much as possible by putting the apps I use the most into the dock and largely ignoring the rest!
Organize them on your iPhone and uninstall all the 3ed party App you are not using.
People don't really use the home screen on the AW like they do on iPhone. You use the dock for your most frequently used apps.
This. Since watchOS 3, my most used apps are in the dock and are complications. I think I have used the home screen once since the beginning of the month.
I did, it still sucks. I only have like 4 third party apps installed
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I would like the dock a bit better if it showed more than one app at a time
It looks cool in my opinion. It is a huge pain to use though. Turning on 'reduced motion' in settings helps a ton. Not only does it force every app icon to stay one size making them easier to tap on, it also speeds up the entire OS. I recommend everyone toggle that feature.
I rarely use the home screen. But when I do, it totally sucks. I wish it had an easier method for organization, like say the icons snapped to a tiled grid instead of the magnetic attraction model it has today. Sometimes I just want to crush the watch when I am trying to move a few around and the whole arrangement shifts. Makes me want to fly to Cupertino and kick some people in the teeth.
I actually really like the homescreen. Enabling "reduced motion" however turns it into absolute crap because instead of going through the various icons smoothly as if running your hand through grass, you are just moving around one large blob of app icons.
The reason I like the homescreen is the fact that it resembles Exposé and zones. It might be one big area but you can divide it into zones just like you'd do on an iPhone/iPad/Dashboard (in OSX). The zone approach makes it very easy to navigate. And just like on the iPhone/iPad, moving the apps can be tedious; using the Watch app on the iPhone does help a lot in reducing that.
Btw, the way you can take notes in OneNote is also similar to navigating the homescreen on watchOS. The same can be said for a lot of the mindmap apps out there.
The reason I like the homescreen is the fact that it resembles Exposé and zones. It might be one big area but you can divide it into zones just like you'd do on an iPhone/iPad/Dashboard (in OSX). The zone approach makes it very easy to navigate. And just like on the iPhone/iPad, moving the apps can be tedious; using the Watch app on the iPhone does help a lot in reducing that.
Btw, the way you can take notes in OneNote is also similar to navigating the homescreen on watchOS. The same can be said for a lot of the mindmap apps out there.
Don´t have any problems with it! I organized my apps into "sections", so I always know where I find them on my homescreen.
I like it.
It's a LOT better than if Apple tried to replicate what they do on the iPhone, which -- not coincidentally -- is how they organized the "apps" on the 6th generation iPod Nano. On the Nano, only four apps* fit onscreen at any time, and you need to swipe across screens to get to what you want to use.
If you could add third-party apps to this model, you'd need to start swiping across more and more screens, taking more time to get to any particular app. It would also be more difficult to reorganize on-the-fly without a settings app on the iPhone.
The current app screen, IMO, is the best way to present all the apps you've got on your particular watch. As Mr. Blacky noted, too, you can group them together any way you see fit. The new Dock is a good bridge to the iOS model, and complications are a great way to access frequently-used functions.
* No, the old Nano never had third-party apps as we know them now, but at least its functions were accessed in a similar way.
It's a LOT better than if Apple tried to replicate what they do on the iPhone, which -- not coincidentally -- is how they organized the "apps" on the 6th generation iPod Nano. On the Nano, only four apps* fit onscreen at any time, and you need to swipe across screens to get to what you want to use.
If you could add third-party apps to this model, you'd need to start swiping across more and more screens, taking more time to get to any particular app. It would also be more difficult to reorganize on-the-fly without a settings app on the iPhone.
The current app screen, IMO, is the best way to present all the apps you've got on your particular watch. As Mr. Blacky noted, too, you can group them together any way you see fit. The new Dock is a good bridge to the iOS model, and complications are a great way to access frequently-used functions.
* No, the old Nano never had third-party apps as we know them now, but at least its functions were accessed in a similar way.
People may not use he home screen but I'd like to point something out. It's there, so obviously it's there for something. I get it, you need to be able to launch that every once in a while app that isn't in your dock or recently loaded. Perhaps people would use it more it wasn't nearly completely useless. It reminds me of my son's toy chest before bed time when he wants his purple dinosaur to sleep with. So fun.
I don't have an answer but maybe a simple alphabetized list would be sufficient?
I don't have an answer but maybe a simple alphabetized list would be sufficient?
I don't find the current answer very efficient. well, for my use anyway. I don't know the damn icons that well. Wonder how a user new to the platform feels? I think I could quickly scroll to the letter I wanted. Not like people have hundreds of apps.
Would also be much more efficient to be able to delete or hide the things you never use. But I digress. Took Apple ten years to let us do that to a limited extend in iOS.
I could even see folders being a useful thing. Just spitballing. You're the first one I've seen say they like it the way it is anyway lol.
On a side note. Why can't I add to reminders?
I don't like the home screen and maybe use it once a week at most. It's complications or the dock for me and I would be hard pressed to find more than 15-16 apps that I would use.
I like the zoomable 2D space. It is the magnetic bubble arrangement and the fact that clock must be the center of the universe that I dislike. I would prefer that the grouping I like the most be at the center. And, I would like to be able to rearrange easier. And, I would like to be able to create space between groupings.
That's a great idea. Would also be nice if you zoom all the way out, you can make a text label for each spaced apart group.
There is no way swiping through multiple pages will be easier than just zoom in and tap.
For all those that dislike the Home screen UI just say "Hey Siri Open xxxx app" and never look at you Home screen again.